A complete mother of pearl scallop shell extensively and delicately carved on its inner surface with a scene from a Chinese popular tale. The design is of an extensive landscape with many figures and houses. The work is of the finest. The other side is plain. These shells often come with wooden stands, in this offering the stand is missing.

Another carved shell of this form, dated to 1825 but with a different subject is illustrated in “A Tale of Three Cities, Canton, Shanghai & Hong Kong” by David Sanctuary Howard, published by Sotheby’s in 1997.

I have found that the shell’s reflective quality makes it a very difficult item to depict properly in a photograph. Fine detail also leads to large file sizes so please forgive the time it takes for all of the pictures to load.